Much progress has been made in studies on optimizing the performance of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in the last two decades.1-6 TiO2 films of photoanodes, serving as the electron acceptor and transport layer, play a key role in DSSCs.7-11 Some key factors, such as the morphology, size, surface state, and crystalline structure, affect the electron transport and the amount of adsorbed dye on the TiO2 photoanode.11-15 In order to enhance light to electricity conversion efficiency (q), much effort has made to focus on the nano-architecture of TiO2 with good crystallinity and high surface area.16-19 
Recently, vertically oriented one-dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanostructures, such as nanowires,20 nanorods,21-23 nanotubes,24-27 and nanofibers,28 have also been reported to remarkably enhance electron transport by creating a direct conduction pathway. However, their application is limited by the difficulties of large-area fabrication and high cost. Furthermore, two-dimensional TiO2 frameworks, although drawing great attention, have not been successfully applied in DSSCs due to their thermal instability.29 
Very recently, tetragonal faceted anatase nanorods with exposed {100} facets were successfully prepared from Na-titanate, which were obtained in NaOH solution, but the materials are not suitable for DSSCs due to their low surface area, submicro-size and Na-doping.31 